Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Does the world really need another chocolate chip cookie recipe? I’d say probably not. But when someone mentioned to me that they made their chocolate chip cookies with bacon grease, well, my curiosity was piqued.

Do you cook with bacon grease? I use it all the time for savory applications—in my refried beans, in my cornbread, in my cream gravy and in my okra, to name just a few places this fat is most welcome. Why do I use it? Well, I just love how with just one dollop you can propel a dish from mundane to magical. But using bacon grease for something sweet? For some silly reason, this had never crossed my mind.

Now, if you’re not already saving your bacon grease and you’re a bacon eater—I highly recommend this practice. You know that coffee can your great-grandmother always kept by the stove? Yep, that’s where she stored her bacon grease, within easy reach for cooking. I’m not so brave, however, so I keep my bacon grease in a Mason jar in the refrigerator; I recommend you do the same. I reckon it keeps for a few months, though I use it so often I’ve never had the chance to test this theory.

As for the cookies, I’d wanted to make a recipe that I found in my great-grandma Blanche’s collection that called for buttermilk, which also seemed like an unusual ingredient. And as our great-grandmother’s were the arbiters of thrift, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that perhaps she made cookies with bacon grease as well.
After taking all sorts of liberties with the recipe, I ended up with a very interesting cookie. It’s full and round, which I attribute to the bacon grease, which burns at a higher temperature than butter so it’s less likely to spread and become crisp. And the center is almost cake like, which probably comes from the buttermilk. (Though I’m no scientist so please don’t hold me to these theories.)

I baked the first batch with chocolate chips and pecans, which was a classic combination. The second batch, however, I was out of pecans so I substituted crunch peanut butter instead and I think I liked this version even more.

So yes, this is a darn fine cookie, but I know what you’re really wondering: does it taste like bacon? Actually no. If you concentrate really hard you might detect some smoked-pork undertones, but for the most part it’s simply a soft, luscious cookie in search of a hungry mouth and a tall glass of milk. And I’m good with that.

you just reminded me that I saved some bacon grease from last time i made it and i have to remember where i put it. that's probably not the best storage method, eh? as for buttermilk, i LOVE that in cookie recipes. will definitely try these out sometime!

I recently (for my blog) made some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with bacon grease. I got the recipe from a friend's great-grandmother and was pleasantly surprised how amazing the texture was. I also loved that there was a slight hint of smokiness, but the that the cookies didn't taste like bacon at all. Heirloom recipes are the best!

Hi, I just stumbled upon your blog and I am soooo saving this page to try bacon grease on my cookie! I won't tell my husband though as will definitely revolt to the idea of using the very ingredient he detests!

Holy cow. Or holy bacon! This c.c.cookie recipe sounds incredible, and my squeeze (an Oklahoma boy who loves him some bacon grease -- especially in macaroni & cheese) would probably fall over for one of these.

Yep, I just made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with bacon grease that I found on the "A Cozy Kitchen" blog. Fantastic, and I'm going to swap drippings for butter in my next batch of regular cc cookies.

My wife's (and mother-in-laws before her) Choc-Chip Pecan recipe has an excellent balance between Sweet and Salty. I can see where bacon grease would add more salt requiring less to be added and adding a savory profile too.

I may have to avoid asking her to substitute in bacon grease as they would be even more addictive. I might eat WAY more than I should.

I have never used bacon grease in a sweet treat - but I am in love with chocolate covered bacon!!! No subtle flavors there, but so yummy. I'll have to try these cookies. I wonder if a bit of crumbled bacon in the batter would be wonderful or terrible...

My mother made her molasses cookies with bacon grease and I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful they were! I have never found a molasses cookie that I like as well. I made some last year and my daughter was transported back to her grandma's house!

This makes me think of a story that happened when I was a little girl. Growing up in a small Texas community, it was mainly Baptists and Church of Christs, with a few Methodists thrown in. My grannie was a hard shelled Baptist lady but with a very kind heart toward her grandkids. Anyway during revivals in the summertime, all the church ladies took turns having the preachers for lunch and supper. One day it was her turn, and she make a chocolate cake. I thought it was wonderful and quite tasty as most 8 or 9 y/o kids would have. She took a bite and said you could taste the hog lard !!! I thought so what and cut me another big piece. She sounded disgusted, she always cooked with lard but maybe was too hard on herself for too much "hog" taste coming through. Who knows? I never forgot that event and thought Grannie was way too hard on herself. I don't remember anybody turning the cake down.

Wow. I had no idea the bacon grease would give a better texture (at least to me - I prefer them on the chewy rather than crispy/flat side.) This is exactly why cooking (and baking) is so much fun. You never now what surprise ingredient will improve even an old classic like chocolate chip cookies. Thanks for sharing!

As a fellow Texan in NY, I cook with bacon grease pretty regularly, so I doubt I have anything to share you've never heard of. Do I really need to mention cooking eggs in it? No, of course I don't.

The only thing that comes to mind is something a little different I did just the other day when making your basic potato soup (scallions sauteed in butter, a little flour added for roux, add water, potatoes, salt, and black pepper and boil till the potatoes are tender) -- I often add chopped bacon at the end but I was out, so I substituted bacon grease for the butter. It gave it a wonderful silky texture it doesn't normally have and great depth. I'll be making it that way from now on. Honestly, it was better than adding the bacon itself!

HT, this recipe sounds so tempting it has me up before the sun to fry up some bacon and bake cookies. IF I don't gobble up all of the bacon immediately, I'll crumble up a strip or two to toss in the batter.

Note: bacon might be a major food group, all by itself, kinda like chocolate & chiles

Both of my grandmas used bacon grease in different applications. One greased her cake pans with it, the other greased her skillet with it when she fried eggs or chicken on the stove (which is also how I use it - I rub the butter wrapper on my cake pans to grease them). I normally buy peppered bacon, which would be good in a biscuit but probably not in a cookie!

I wouldn't have thought of bacon grease for cookies, but when we lived in San Francisco, I learned that the really great almond cookies were made with lard. The ones with vegetable shortening were never nearly as tender. So I'm guessing bacon grease would make a fine texture, too.

As for buttermilk, doesn't it make everything taste better? Except for drinking it straight--my dad did that, but we kids always thought it was yucky, and I still do! My father-in-law also loved a tall cold glass of buttermilk; it must be a "dad thing."

Came across an old Swedish recipe for Gingersnaps using bacon grease for shortening, so I made some for my father-in-law (a Chicago Swede) for Christmas. He said they reminded him of how they tasted when he was young. I kinda like the salty, smoky flavor it gave the cookies. After the first time though, I made it half bacon grease, half butter, to tone down the taste a bit.

I made your apple Dutch baby with bacon grease, and I found that it added a nice dimension that I found a bit lacking with the original recipe. I do love that recipe, though! Great for brunch. Next time I might throw in some actual bacon pieces with the apples.

These sound very intriguing!! And may I add that I am in love with your blog. I have such a fondness for mexican and latin cuisine and love what I have read so far. I can't seem to get sick of Tacos despite my father having a taco truck!

I was so interested here , found the comments just as interesting and enlightening!

what is similar in other cultures is the use of animal fat to give flavor to a host of dishes, without having to actually use the meat; hence in Lebanon we use sheep fat (from the tail of a specific sheep) in a lot of dishes, from kibbes to omelettes to dumplings. there is also a traditional lamb fat preserved in a jar all year called awarma, delicious with eggs for a hearty breakfast.

Hi Lisa, My sister in law knows I am a foodie blogger and so she sent me a link to this recipe when she stumbled accross it on facebook. I have to tell you , as a bacon grease lover on everything from fried bread to collards, the idea of making a bacon chocolate chip cookie is calling my name! A friend also just pointed out to me a recipe in her EBook for chocolate covered bacon! How does life ever get any better when bacon is around? I am now following your lovely blog and I will be sharing your blog post on my Thoughts on Friday link love at A Moderate Life because I know my crew will adore this recipe! Alex@amoderatelife

A diastrous birthday cake came my way many years ago. The young baker used melted bacon grease as a substitute for vegetable oil. Goodness what a greasy pound cake! BUT try your favorite sugar cookie recipe with rendered chicken fat instead of butter,,,,,,,

that is awesome! i also use bacon great=se for refried beans, some marimades for steak and for a bean soup I improvised. cookies? believe i will try this! thanks for the idea i don't think i'll tell the kids they're bacon cookies!

The easiest way to explain my joke about taping a cookie to your cat is to direct you to Google. Type the following words in the Search box:

scalzi bacon cat

The first result will be titled "Clearly You People Thought I Was Kidding." That will explain things far better than I ever could. (And I will point out that for a day or two, this was the most popular site on the Internet.)

The other interesting ingredient I noticed in the cookie recipe is cayenne pepper! I've never heard of putting that in a cookie recipe before. But I love cayenne pepper in hot chocolate and I've added it to chocolate cake on occasion (ever since seeing Johnny Depp in "Chocolat," I've loved the spicy "hot" chocolate idea. Can't wait to try these cookies. Thanks for introducing us to it.

I save my bacon grease too(in a jar in the fridge - like you, I can't quite bring myself to leave it out). Although I usually don't collect very much before using it, I might just have to save it up for these. I bet it bakes similarly to lard - which is a lovely baking fat, I must say!

My mom also keeps her bacon grease so I asked her why. She answered that there are many recipes that can use the bacon grease. Now that I found one I will surely try this recipe of yours. It looks yummy and sweet! I imagine the taste and it will taste like a bacon cookie! Yummy!

Your post caught my eye since I'm gearing up to bake my buns off for a cause. I'll be trying out your recipe this weekend--it just might end up helping us raise some dough at our Cookies for Kids' Cancer bake sale!Thanks for always sharing your love for food (and Texas).

I have always wondered how to keep bacon grease and this has been great, because now I know!

But......in my chocolate chip cookie.....hmmmmmmmmmmmm. I have noticed lately that bacon is starting to make an appearance in desserts. Cookies, on tops of cupcakes, and such. Apparently it is a trend I can not afford to ignore. The next time I have bacon.....I will make these.

Lisa! thanks to your bacony tips i've pretty much gone off the bacon deep end by getting myself tangled up with the motley crew @ GetYourLardon here in LA :) Yesterday I sampled some bacon pecan chocolate chip cookies, and man are they hard to resist! bacon grease + tiny bacon chunks... my god. they do come out softer than butter cookies do but i personally love that. hope all is well with you, lady! Mariel

I just recently tried your Texas gravy(using bacon grease)and it took a few tries but I think I've got it down!Gravy is one thing I could never do right without a starter package.This using bacon for sweets is really intriguing so I have to try it too! ;)Hey my grandmother's name was Blanche too! I grew up in E Tx piney woods she was part Cherokee & grew up in Oklahoma during the depression. I LOVE your blog!!

Well, I keep my bacon grease in the fridge in a canning jar or any other jar with a lid. It does not ever go bad!! I use it to make enchiladas (to brown the flour and onions for the gravy) and for refried beans too. You can use it in the place of most any shortening or oil. Off the subject somewhat but I buy turkey tails to make my gravy and dressing for Thankgiving and Christmas. They are tender, succulent and rich like no other part of the TURKEY! I have some frozen right now as my store tends to only carry them near the Holidays and I buy them when I find them. Bacon or pork anything is dreamy and good. I like good clean chicken fat when I boil or bake a chicken. It will cure a cold like Jewish chicken soup!